NEW LONDON, N.H. – One of the winningest men's soccer coaches in NCAA history,
Bob Reasso, has been named the next head coach of the Colby-Sawyer men's soccer program, Director of Athletics
Mitch Capelle announced June 9.
"We are excited to have Coach Reasso join our team," said Capelle. "His passion and enthusiasm for the college game, recruiting, and working with student-athletes is infectious. He is the ultimate team player and will have an immediate impact on the program and our department."
The former coach of NCAA Division I and II programs comes to New London with a wealth of soccer knowledge under his belt. In 35 seasons on the sideline, which includes stops at Rutgers University and Pfeiffer University, Reasso accumulated 436 wins, ranking him 30th all-time among collegiate men's soccer coaches.
"I am extremely excited and honored to become the soccer coach at Colby-Sawyer College," said Reasso. "I want to thank President Stuebner, Director of Athletics
Mitch Capelle, Director of Human Resources Heather Zahn,
Ed Winters, and the search committee for this wonderful opportunity. I cannot wait to get started."
Reasso spent most of his career at Rutgers, coaching there for 29 seasons. The Scarlet Knights Hall of Famer compiled a record of 351-183-71, which included 13 NCAA appearances, three Final Fours, six league titles, and a 1990 national championship game appearance. During his tenure in New Brunswick, Reasso won Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year three times, Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year four times, and captured the NCAA D I National Coach of the Year award in 1990. Coach Reasso has coached 24 All-Americans during his career.
After a three-year stint as the Director of Athletics at Husson University, Reasso returned to his alma mater, Pfeiffer University, as Vice President for Athletics and Head Men's Soccer Coach. Reasso inherited a program that won one game the year before and eight games over the last three seasons. In his first year on the Falcon sideline, Reasso transformed Pfeiffer into a winning program and guided his team to the Semi-Finals of the Conference Carolinas post-season Tournament. Within a year, they played the school's first-ever NCAA tournament game. On Sept. 30, 2015, Reasso won his 400th career game, becoming just the 40th coach in NCAA history to accomplish the feat
. His success continued at Pfeiffer, so much so that in 2015, he won the NCAA D II National Coach of the Year award and led Pfeiffer to the NCAA D II National Championship, completing a 25-0 perfect season. In just four seasons in Misenheimer, North Carolina, the Falcons went 71-16-3 and posted a .806 winning percentage. In Coach Reasso's last 65 games at Pfeiffer, his team amassed a 60-4-1 record.
"Players make coaches. It is not the other way around," said Reasso. "I am looking forward to coaching the outstanding young men who make up the Chargers Soccer program."
Reasso has coached over 60 players who have gone on to play professionally with 24 of those players playing in Major League Soccer and around the world. Included in that group are Peter Vermes, the current Manager at Sporting KC, and Alexi Lalas, former United States Men's National Team player and current Fox Sports soccer analyst.
After Pfeiffer, Bob went on to serve as the Director of Athletics and men's and women's soccer coach at the American University in Cairo. In January 2020, Reasso returned to the States and took the Executive Director and Head Coach of Soccer position at the Combine Academy in Lincolnton, North Carolina.
Reasso will also serve as an Assistant Athletic Director for the Chargers, assisting with administrative duties in the department.